Silly and Good
by Inamioly
Summary: When everyone knew before they did. As canon as possible, with a few twists of my own later on. Chapter 2: Daryl finds a puppy.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Walking Dead characters, settings, etc.**

**Part I – The dinner**

Zac had just died. The aftermath of the saddening trip weighed on everyone's slumped shoulders. The grey walls mirrored their spirits, and not even the eight cooked squirrels Daryl had hunted the night before helped set their moods at a higher level. They knew they couldn't get this upset over every single death – it was just the cruel reality they lived in, and they had come to grasps, as much as possible, with the concept more than a few deaths ago - , but the young boy passing away had left a mark, and a deep one at that. Losing someone so young, despite not knowing him that well, had made everyone consider how not even the young were spared. They'd had proof of that before, but this time it had happened right under their noses. One moment he was alive, and the next he wasn't.

Daryl kicked the floor with his foot, startling everyone, though no heads turned in his direction. They were all sitting on the floor of the prison, secretly enjoying the proximity and the comforting messiness of the situation. Carl had fallen asleep against the wall next to Rick, who instantly put a hand on his boy's shoulder instinctively. He quickly recovered.

"Anyone care for mor'?" Rick offered, eyes transfixed on the plate with the scrawny squirrels.

Everyone mumbled otherwise. Silence settled in again, and this time it brought strings attached. Carol stood up and left, and Daryl followed her with his eyes, taking in her guilty frown. She didn't need to feel guilty; it was on all of them. He was a kid, and he'd had to fight alongside the rest of them. They couldn't have done anything, and blaming herself for whatever reason wasn't going to help her, or anyone else for that matter. He supposed they could have trained him a little bit better, but, quite frankly, they'd needed the help and they'd needed it fast. But yeah, he figured it made Carol remember Sophia, the way all the kids had that naïve look to them. He heaved a sigh. The world was messed up.

Hershel sighed. "Beth's comin' this way."

And indeed she was. She'd been laying low for the entire evening, neither crippled from sadness nor overrode with joy, but instead with an unsettlingly neutral stare. Her eyes were empty of emotion, and she walked absently toward the group, which tried to act as normal as possible while casting her apologetic glances.

Daryl stood up, unexpectedly, making Beth stop a few steps away from him, surprised. "He slipped right through ma fingers." He stated firmly, his eyes on the ground. "I know I spoke to ya already, but I had to tell ya it was ma fault."

Her feet shrugged a little, being the only part of her he allowed himself to see, and she murmured. "Just to make it clear, yeah?"

"Yeah. That." He sighed, clenching his jaw ever so slightly.

"Don't be upset. You never really cared much for 'im anyways." Beth offered, and he lifted his head to her face.

"I'm not." He cleared his throat, as if compelled by her confused frown. "Just thought I'd tell ya."

"And what? I'd cry?" Beth asked, crossing her arms, but maintaining her look of nonchalance.

"Yeah." Daryl surprised himself by saying it. It's not that he hadn't been thinking about it, because he had, but he'd never thought he'd say it aloud.

"You're tryin' to make me cry, Daryl?" Her face was unreadable, and he was becoming less and less confident about his approach. Again, why did he have to stand up?

"Huh… yeah?" He gulped, barely noticeably. "Guess I am. You gotta count your losses and move on. But you… you gotta count'em."

The silence that followed his bold statement was overwhelming, to a point where he thought if he found a stick he ought to beat himself in the head with it. Why couldn't he just stay put, eating his squirrel in silence as the rest of them? He put his hands in his pockets, at the lack of a better thing to do, since he was starting to fidget, and, well… Daryl Dixon didn't fidget.

"He didn't deserve to die." She told no-one in particular.

"No." He agreed.

"Like this, nonetheless."

Daryl shrugged. "Yeah. Kind of an overkill, if y'ask me. Poor dude."

Glenn rolled his eyes at his lack of tact, and Daryl himself wondered if he'd gone too far. But it'd worked.

Beth's rigid posture began slowly crumbling, and he saw her lower lip starting to tremble. He knew what would follow: watery eyes and quiet sobs. But no – she held her own and allowed for streaks of tears to fall without a single sob to accompany them. There was no sound whatsoever, and everyone stood still. The group knew Beth, and especially her and her big heart, had to process things as they came, or else she'd blow up later and it wouldn't be pretty or pleasant. Hershell and Maggie watched in anticipation, torn between hugging the blonde and letting her deal with what she needed first by herself.

"Thanks." And before he knew she'd hugged his waist, tighter than he would ever have imagined. He just stood there, arms close to his body, engulfed by her body, hands in his pockets, and the beginning of a stunned smile tugging at his lips.

He chuckled. "Weird, never had a girl thank me fer makin'er cry before."

Beth punched him lightly in the back. "You're one silly person, Daryl Dixon." And she added for only him to hear. "You're silly and good."

"Who'd have thought, huh?" He smirked.

"Not you."

"Smarty pants." He smiled. "Yeah, prob'bly not me."

She giggled between the tears as he patted her forehead playfully. "See? Silly."

And as each made their way back to their respective places, everyone else was left thinking, some more pleased than others: _Who would've thought, indeed._

**A/N: And this is the first chapter. I'd really love to continue this story, and it'd be awesome to know what you think. This couple is lovely, super cute, and super cleverly crafted (the TWD writers hit the Jackpot with this one!) – also, they're not that easy to write, hence my nervousness.**

**Tell me what you think, pretty please?**

**Grazie mille!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, there! I've been careful not to make grammar mistakes, but since I'm Portuguese (and since I haven't written in English in a while) I'm bound to make some :p Well, I've corrected some of them, and I apologize in advance for the ones I didn't find. I try my best, and I hope I improve as the chapters evolve. Kisses, enjoy!**

Part II – Pup

It had been a month since Zac's death. Beth had mourned him, as a lost friend, but their confusing relationship had been harder to digest. Shouldn't she have taken the death of her boyfriend a little harder? Shouldn't she have been sadder? She cried, sobbed, punched her pillow until it was soft enough to carry her into a dreamless sleep, but the thought '_i lost my boyfriend'_ never crossed her mind. Ever. And so she cried harder, fearing the possibility of being immune to love. Maybe this world had ruined her for love.

It had been a quiet morning. Carol had taken Lizzie and Carl outside the gates for target practice, and Tyreese, Bob and Sasha were on a food run. Beth, since Judith was spending some quality time with her father in the yard, had been requested by Maggie and Glenn to help with inventory.

"Dang. Who knew we'd have so many medical supplies? One'd think we're runnin' a hospital over here." Beth complained good-humouredly, wiping her forehead with her hand. They were sitting on the floor, which had seemed more comfortable than the tables at the time.

"Eh, it's a good thing. No runs needed any time soon." Glenn replied, finishing up a box and relaxing his back to the wall. He brushed Maggie's cheek. "That's always a good thing."

The older sister smirked and kissed him. "You lazy husband o'mine."

Beth laughed distractedly. Her sister was so happy that even her voice irradiated cheerfulness. Even saying the simplest things, she would voice them so lightly, like she didn't have a care in the world…

"Hey." Maggie touched her shoulder. "You doin' okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled sadly. It was the truth. "I'll always be sad for him. He was a good person. But, yeah… I'm okay. Or at least, I'm tryin' to be. That ought'a count for somethin', right?"

"Damn right." Maggie stood up, ruffling Beth's hair playfully. "I'm incredibly proud of you, lil' sis."

"We both are." Glenn added, genuinely. "Where' you going? 'You abandoning us in the middle of this mess, not-so-fabulous-now-wife?"

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "I was just gonna get us some crackers. You just earned yourself none." And with that she walked towards her cell, leaving a laughing Beth and a cranky Glenn behind.

Both kept organizing the mess of meds they'd picked up the run before. It really had been fortunate they had found a hardly pillaged pharmacy so close to the prison. She and Glenn remained in silence until they heard footsteps coming their way. She saw Glenn lift his head, hopeful, but she knew it wasn't Maggie. These were heavy steps, and, as she listened closer, she could distinctly hear the sound of ruffled pants. She smiled.

"Hey, Daryl." She greeted, without turning around.

"How d'ya know it was me?" She heard him ask in a surprised tone.

"I'm amazin' that way, y'know." She grinned, and, as she finished piling all the dressings in the right box, she rotated her body so as she would face him.

"Damn… I thought it was Maggie. She's evil, that one. I'm so hungry now…" Glenn grumbled.

Daryl furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that some kind'o code for…?"

"Nah, man. Something better… crackers." Glenn chuckled.

"Oh. I get it." He nodded.

Beth shook her head at both of them. "What… seriously, how can crackers be better…?" She blushed. "Never mind. What'cha got there?"

All eyes fell on Daryl and his arms, which held a dirty blanket all bundled up. His cheeks actually grew a shade pinker, but he quickly masked it by clearing his throat and looking away from them.

"Well… it's for ya." He nodded curtly in Beth's direction.

"Me?" She asked with a surprised smile. "You got me somethin'?"

"No. Yeah. Well, no, it's not for ya, but it kinda is." He stammered.

Glenn snorted. "Oh, that explains it."

Beth squealed. "Ohmygod, let me see. Thank you."

"Hey, hey, not so loud, girl." He scolded lightly, a tinge of a smile appearing. "And don't thank me yet."

"Why?"

Daryl got down on one knee and carefully placed the small bundle in Beth's extended arms. She wore a stunned expression, and Glenn peeked curiously, gasping as she untangled it.

"Oh… my… Jesus, Daryl, where d'ya find…?"

A barely two-month old puppy eyed her curiously. As it lifted its nose, it licked the girl's cheek and then yawned. Beth's eyes widened so much that Daryl thought she was going to explode with something that almost resembled joy…

"You lil' thing…" She murmured into the brown little puppy, petting its already thick fur.

Kneeling down, Daryl smiled. "It's a lil' dude. Found'im outside on my mornin' walk, and carried'im around all mornin' while huntin' for squirrels."

She grinned at him. "And you brought him home."

"You turning into a softie?" Glenn teased.

"Screw you." Daryl grouched, though he didn't seem to mind it much. He stroked the puppy's head. A happy sigh escaped Beth's slightly open mouth, and their stares met. Glenn coughed, smirking, and Daryl removed his hand from the small creature.

"So… how d'you plan on taking care of him? We're barely getting by now…" The asian frowned. "I mean, he doesn't look like he can survive on his own… too little…"

"Yeah, that's why I brought'im." Daryl snapped, and Beth relaxed. The mere thought of abandoning the little dog… "And he's gonna be a small dude. Prob'bly twelve pounds, max. And we could do with some good around here. Can't get much _gooder_ than a puppy."

Glenn understood what he wasn't saying. He eyed the blonde, and saw how hopeful she'd got. And she really needed a win.

"True. Pass it by Rick, though…" He advised.

The redneck assented. "Already talked to him 'bout it. Was thrilled."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Beth squealed once more and lunged forward, embracing Daryl as well as she could with the puppy between them. Taken aback, he was left with his arms open and an awkward expression on his face. As she showed no signs of letting go, he placed his hands on her back and stroked the end of her ponytail.

"Don'mention it-"

The sound of hurried steps approaching made Glenn look in the cells' direction and flash a smile towards Maggie. "Sorry, sorry, Michonne needed help with a few of'em walkers. But I got the crackers!"

And just like that, Daryl released her from her grip and stood up, focused on the floor, and Beth almost lost her balance attempting to sit back down just as fast. Glenn chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I brought'im to ya so ya could take care of'im. Just seemed the best option an'all." He shrugged, and Maggie looked at Glenn questioningly. "It'll be a ton o'work, an'I got too much to do. So, ya know… it's for ya. If ya want."

"What…?" The brunette looked back and forth between the redneck and her sister. Glenn pointed towards the blanket, and she, not unlike her sister, shrieked, in excitement. "Is that…?"

"I'll be goin'now." Daryl excused himself, but Beth stopped him by softly kicking his foot.

"Think I'll call him Goody."

"Whatever." He shrugged, but smiled so only she could see it. He then walked away to the sound of both sisters' squealing, laughing and 'awwww'ing.

**A/N: So… what did you think? I loved the idea of an apocalyptic puppy *.* hihi. Review, please, and feel free to include suggestions. Lots of love,**


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